BOARD CHAIRMAN, MANAGER AT ODDS

School board Chairman Joe Bischof, a staunch advocate of larger school district offices, was faced Monday with what he considered a grim possibility -- reducing the size of a proposed expansion.

Town Manager William Smith wants the town's municipal renovation committee to take over the expansion of school district headquarters. Smith wants to shift the project from the high school building committee, he said at Monday's board of selectmen meeting. Selectmen said that would ensure the project costs no more than the allotted $650,000 approved by voters at a town meeting.

To Bischof, that meant reducing the project.

"I reject wholeheartedly the notion from the town manager that the board of education should just scale back the project," board member Bischof said. "The board of education has attempted to compromise on a number of alternatives." Bischof added he wasn't willing to compromise any further.

His comments encouraged selectmen to keep the status quo for the time being. They tabled Smith's request.

The district's headquarters on Route 20 have little office or hallway space. The original plan called for moving offices to Granby Pentecostal Tabernacle, where the school district would share space with the church. Renovation there would come in at the targeted $650,000. With 7,000 square feet, the tabernacle would fulfill the school board's space needs.

However, handicap accessibility requirements may not be satisfied there. And acoustic problems could arise if a church shares space with school offices.

A new proposal would place headquarters behind the town hall complex. A freestanding complex, however, would cost more than the original plan unless the project is scaled down. The town could qualify for state reimbursement if it builds a new complex, but the up-front price tag still exceeds the $650,000 cap by about $50,000.